City leaders are investigating the possibility of changing Russellville's noise ordinances after citizen complaints that the current system may not be sufficient.

The council read an ordinance setting specific decibel level limits for specific times and property zones at its June meeting. The council will read the ordinance twice more before voting on it.

Some aldermen plan to use the time before the vote to further investigate the areas where noise complaints are originating.

"Whatever decision we make is going to have to be balanced," Alderman Martin Irwin said, acknowledging "everybody might not be happy."

The discussion began at the council's May agenda preparation meeting when Ward 3 alderman Paul Northcut told the council he would like to address noise concerns presented to him by residents located in the south side of the city, near two Latino nightclubs.

When asked for remarks for this article, Northcut agreed to comment only if certain stipulations were met by The Courier, an offer the newspaper declined.

At the subsequent regular council meeting on May 19, resident Christy Chronister voiced her concerns, citing chronic lack of sleep due to the noise. She said she was working to collect signatures on a petition from businesses and residents in the neighborhood.

The council saw a proposed ordinance at its June council meeting that would set decibel-specific limits to the level of noise allowed by law. The current noise ordinance allows the officer responding to a noise complaint to determine if the noise is too loud.

In response, Mayor Bill Eaton appointed Northcut, Irwin and Alderman Burke Larkin to a committee and charged them with investigating noise concerns at Poder Latino and Salon Tropical and reporting back to the full council.

Shortly thereafter, committee members, Eaton, City Attorney Trey Smith and Police Chief Tom McMillen met to discuss possible solutions. Smith and McMillen agreed to compile information on other cities with decibel-level specific noise ordinances and McMillen also agreed to alert committee members when events were scheduled at either of the two venues in question.

On June 4, committee members - with Alderman Kevin Freeman filling in for Northcut, who did not participate - investigated an event held at the Salon Tropical, located at 4022 S. Arkansas Ave.

Irwin said the committee carried a decibel meter, which read 69.5 at the edge of the venue's property line. He said the group also drove to several nearby locations and noted the decibel levels. Near the residences where several of the noise complaints have occurred, Irwin said music from the venue could not be heard at all, though sounds from State Highway 7T were registering at an average of about 40 decibels.

He noted traffic noise at a nearby business registered at 60 decibels and the aldermen's voices were registering at about 70 decibels during a normal conversation.

The proposed ordinance would limit nighttime decibel levels to 55 in residential areas, 65 in commercial zones and 75 for industrial areas. Daytime levels would be 5 decibels higher than nighttime limits.

Larkin expressed concern about the proposed limits and indicated "your neighbor starting his Harley (Davidson motorcycle)" could trigger a noise complaint. His concerns were echoed by Irwin.

"I don't think the ordinance needs to be changed to include the decibel levels because I'm fearful of the implications it might have," Irwin said.

The committee is still investigating noise complaints and has not yet been notified of an event at the Poder Latino, located at 3903 S. Arkansas Ave., Larkin added.

"We want to be able to go out there by their homes during a party ... and find out how loud that really is," he said.

Irwin and Larkin both pointed out the seeming willingness of the clubs' owner to work with the city to alleviate any problems with noise coming from the venues.

Although neither Irwin or Larkin discounted the legitimacy of the noise complaints, Irwin noted the possibility of the noise being generated from a location outside the city limits. If the issues do stem from inside the city, however, residents have options for relief even if an officer responding to the scene declines to issue a citation. Homeowners may file a report and contact Smith, who can pursue legal action.

In the meantime, Irwin said the committee will work to visit the second location and complete its report to the full council.